There probably aren’t many of us who don’t love a good fairytale. We
swoon over the romantics, become captured by the adventure and smile in
pleasure over the comfort a happy ending is around the corner. Imagine then
enjoying not one but five neat little
fairytales captured in one pretty novel. That’s what you’ll find if you open
the pages of Five Magic Spindles, the
product of Rooglewood Press’ third fairytale retelling contest.

Inside these pages
are five diverse and unique stories. The authors were tasked with reimagining
the Sleeping Beauty legend, no small feat considering the heroine sleeps
through (nearly) her entire story. Since this features multiple stories, I
thought I’d break this review up to better share my thoughts about each story
rather than lump suppositions in a larger scale. With that said, let’s get
started.

THE MAN ON THE
BUCKSKIN HORSE by Rachel Koviciny

The POV in this
story is that of Emma, a good-hearted midwife who rides to her neighbor’s farm
to warn him of a danger he isn’t aware of. It’s here that we meet “Sleeping
Beauty,” the farmer’s daughter.
Perhaps the most difficult to (blindly) accept as a retelling, Rachel has not only
challenged herself by telling this story, but her readers.

Set in the
rip-roaring old west, the detached perspective of a second party made this one
a unique read. Instead of a prince or hero being the one to save a
Kingdom, a hero arrives in the form of a midwife. Emma is a spunky heroine
and those surrounding her are no different. Everyone gets fleshed out nicely
despite being only inside Emma’s head. From the innocent Rosalind to the “Man,”
this novel sparks with personality and unique perspectives.

What I admired
most about Rachel’s story was its unafraid way of re-tooling a
classic. Rachel’s deep love of the old west shows on every page as she weaves
inklings of the beloved story we love so much into each page. ‘The Man on the
Buckskin Horse’ is entertaining, and a wonderful start to what is, a
wonderful collection of fairytales.

GUARDIAN OF OUR
BEAUTY by Kathryn McConaughy

From the Old West
to the Far East, Katheryn’s story introduces us to Palli, a young princess
whose destiny is to rescue her people from a terrible fate. Falling into a deep
sleep on her wedding day, Palli must help a hero rise to the occasion not only to
save her people, but to win her hand. Prince Neriya is the younger son in the
line of monarchs, but he becomes the only hero able to seek out the fated
kingdom where Palli lies in slumber.

This high fantasy
story is as exciting as it is romantic. The technique Katheryn employs to spin
a new idea into the Sleeping Beauty legend is fantasy at its brightest. Despite
being in slumber, I appreciated that Palli was “present” for much of the story.
Also pleasant were the subtle intricacies woven into the elegant writing that
showed the growing affection between her and Neriya.

Beautifully
established writing and great characters is sure to set ‘Guardian of Our Beauty’ apart in
the fairytale realm.

THE GHOST OF
BRIARDALE by Grace Mullins

Ghostly
shenanigans abound in this zany little comedy. Roselee is a ghost, with few
memories, trapped and on a mission to seek out a mortal hero for a mysterious sleeping
princess. All of which takes place in an insane asylum no less! As Roselee
searches for just such a boy, she encounters Franz. But is he the chosen one?
Or will she be forced to continue searching?

Grace’s story is
like an infectious personality. It’s pure delight from beginning to end. The
story moves swiftly through the ghostly (and crazy!) halls of the asylum
featuring an ensemble cast of loveable characters. We root for Franz to break free of
his prison of brick and mortar, and for the princess to be awakened from her
prison of slumber. There’s excitement, laughter and a unique voice (pen) that the author should be proud of.

SPINDLE CURSED by Michelle
Pennington

The Sleeping
Beauty of this story is Arabella, a beautiful spirt who’s been comatose for
many years, protected by her loyal fairy godmother. Under the guise of
assisting in breaking the curse so that Arabella might claim her rightful
throne, her cousin plots behind her back. All of this might have gone off with
no one the wiser had a Prince not walked in on her nefarious plans.

Perhaps the most
traditional of the bunch, ‘Spindle Cursed’ is a beautiful romance from
beginning to end. Michelle’s skill in crafting a story is poetry. I admired how
simplistic this story is because it was just what I craved to help make this
collection complete. The beautiful romance that develops between Arabella and
her hero might seem to go unnoticed, but really it’s the strength of the
novella. I admired that the heroine, while lost in dreams, wasn’t lost to the
reader and instead was very present in the
present. This gave the story room to breathe and come alive.

If you’re yearning
for a traditional spin on the classic beauty that is the legend of the sleeping
princess, discover this story. There’s dragons, and magic, to say nothing of
the fact that the story allows its female protagonist to be the heroine (in
part) of her own story. It’s a jewel from opening page to that iconic kiss.

OUT OF THE TOMB by
Ashley Stangl

Burdened with a past that's sketchy, Tanza is a tomb
raider. As a thief who knows the score in her world, Tanza
believes she’s worth no more than what she has. All of this changes when she
meets a prince caught under a spell that sent him into a deep sleep. Tanza chose the wrong – or could it be the right? – tomb to raid
when her presence awakens the prince. Unaware of how his kingdom has changed in
his absence, the prince is unprepared for what is to come, but with Tanza’s
help, perhaps the two can right the wrongs of their rapidly changing world.

Sci-fi and
adventure abound in this re-telling. The classic story is turned on its
head in this gender swapped tale that is uniquely coded. Who’d imagine a classic fairytale could work in a
space setting? Ashley Stangl did, and she creates a whole new kind of magic
because of this. Despite the heroine being in need of redemption, I loved Tanza and eventually, Auren’s presence in her life. The way in
which he affects her life is a beautifully realized journey.

If you love sci-fi
stories, but are unsure about fairytales, give ‘Out of the Tomb’ a fair chance.
It’s clever, humorous and not without a message of forgiveness and hope. In
short, it’s a story with depth and purpose.

_______

From a spunky
midwife in an old west showdown to the ancient mysteries of the Far East; an asylum dungeon to the romantic traditions of a castle tower and dragons, and finally to
the great unknown (space), Five Magic
Spindles is sure to enchant. Some of these characters grabbed a hold of my
heart sooner than others. Some of the settings and sweet romance enchanted me
beyond my expectations. But when I clicked
the final page to the end of this collection, one thing stood out. In their own
way, each of these five novellas is splendid. To potential
readers, I say this: don’t delay in snatching up this magical collection. If
you’re anything like me, you’ll be mesmerized.

Awaken the Magic!

Emma, a good-hearted midwife, rushes to warn a neighbor about the hired gunman
headed to his ranch but can't prevent the catastrophe in store for his
daughter.

Palli, the prophesied daughter of a king, is fated to rescue her people from
the destruction called forth by a vengeful priest.

Roselee, a ghost with a faulty memory, flits through the halls of an insane
asylum in search of the mortal boy who can help her save the day.

Arabella, a living spirit trapped in her own comatose body, helplessly watches
from the realm of dreams as her usurping cousin plots to destroy her once and
for all.

Tanza, a tomb raider on a distant planet, struggles to make a living and
doesn’t need a long-lost prince to complicate her difficult life.

One way or another, these beauties have no intention of sleeping away their
problems. - Goodreads

Sincere thanks to the publisher (and author,
Rachel) for providing a complimentary e-copy of this book for reviewing
purposes.

I did indeed enjoy them, Miranda. So much creativity went in this collection. From its opening pages (a rip-roaring western!) to its final page (an odyssey in SPACE!), this is a fabulous collection indeed. Hope you enjoy the rest of them. :)

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